Transcript

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>> And next is an executive order minimizing the economic burden of the patient protection in the Affordable Care Act.>> As promised, President Trump taking aim at Obamacare on day one, firing off an executive order from the Oval Office. But what exactly did it do? I'm Andy Sullivan in Washington.

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With the move by Trump, after his inaugural parade, fulfills one of his campaign promises on his first day in office, allowing his administration to start dismantling the Affordable Care Act.>> Thank you guys. It's been a great day.>> A formal repeal of the law depends on the Republican-led Congress, but this order encourages agencies to defer or delay parts of the law that imposed burdens on people, businesses or states, pushing the law closer to the edge of the cliff.

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Trump's order firmly in line with Republican objections to the law. Both cabinet officials who would carry out this order, such as his health secretary nominee Tom Price, haven't yet been confirmed by the Senate. So it's unlikely that this'll lead to any concrete changes in the near future. And as of Saturday morning, government agencies still encouraging people to sign up for it on their websites.

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But later on, the order could, for example, encourage agencies to not enforce the part of the law that requires people to sign up for health coverage. Which would remove a key incentive that broadens coverage in the first place. That also puts a little more pressure on Congress, Trump able to say to his followers he's done what he can to scrap the law.

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Republicans on Capitol Hill are no closer to an alternative to ObamaCare which provides coverage to more than 20 million people. They're planning to repeal the law as quickly as possible. And Trump also wants them to move fast with the replacement. But some of them are having second thoughts amid reports that it would cause enormous upheaval in an industry that accounts for one fifth of the US economy.

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We're likely to see further clarity when Congress gets back to work in the days to come.